The election day signature drive to seek approval of a new charter commission at the 2007 election was not as successful as organizer hoped, but it helped focus the group's future attempts.

Al Baker of Marstons Mills is heading up the effort. While he does not have all of the petitions back, he believes that between 300 and 400 signatures were collected on last Tuesday, based on reports from volunteers. That's lower than hoped, but brings the total number of signatures above the 500 mark. More than 5,000 are needed.

"I wouldn't call it a total flop," Baker said. "We learned a lot, but I wouldn't call it a success, either."

One of the strategies under consideration is to saturate areas with volunteers, going house to house in a particular village for an extended period of time, and then move on. Baker doesn't see winter as the best time to do that, but would expect a concerted effort in the spring.

Baker would like to wrap up the signature drive before summer, which would allow a full year to focus on charter commission candidates.

"We still need to do some education on getting the facts out on what it is," he said.

A charter petition, which requires the signatures of 15 percent of the town's registered voters, only places the question of charter review before the voters. Baker said that the petition process itself is not the time to debate any particular form of government. He said that debates on the form of government should come when candidates for the nine-member commission surface.

Lessons Learned

"You've got to catch people when they're in a mood to sign," Baker observed.

That's a lesson carried over from the 1997 charter drive. Baker recalled heading to residentonly beaches as likely places to focus signature efforts, but found that people in flip-flops weren't interested.

If nothing else, Baker would like to see a regular review of the town's charter. He said that other communities provide for regular review of the charter, but Barnstable's charter does not. "The lack of review is terrible," Baker said. "It should be done at least every five years."

A recently-taped show called "Civics 101" features Baker and the charter drive has started airing on Cape Cod Community Media, cable channel 17. Baker, who appears on the program, said he has not seen the show, but the reports back are good. It next airs at 4 p.m. Tuesday and again at 11:30 p.m. next Friday.